







In English we use the present simple tense to talk about facts or things that are always true, as well as things in general. Present simple is also used to talk about a repeated action such as a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or something that often happens.
In English we use 'do' and 'does' as auxiliary verbs in negatives and questions and we often use the present simple with adverbs of frequency such as sometimes, always, often, never, usually, rarely, and hardly ever.
Notes for use of present simple :
In the third person, ‘s’ is added to the verb form. For example;
work --> works
run --> runs
live --> lives
For verbs that end in 'o', 'sh', 'ch', 's' and 'x', we add 'es' to the verb form. For example;
go --> goes
wish --> wishes
watch --> watches
kiss --> kisses
fax --> faxes
For verbs that end in a consonant + 'y', we change the 'y' to 'i' and add 'es'. For example;
try --> tries
study --> studies
The table below shows the different forms of present simple :
Example Verb : Work | I / You / We / They | He / She / It |
| Positive | ... work. | ... works. |
| Negative | ... don't work. | ... doesn't work. |
Questions | Do ... work? | Does ... work? |
| Short answers | Yes, ... do. / No, ... don't. | Yes, ... does. / No, ... doesn't. |
For the verb 'to be' we use 'am', 'is', 'are' in the present simple. No auxiliary verbs are used in negative sentences and questions.
Verb: Be | I | You / We / They | He / She / It |
| Positive | I'm ... | ... 're ... | ... 's ... |
| Negative | I'm not ... | ... aren't ... | ... isn't ... |
| Questions | Am I ... ? | Are ... ...? | Is ... ...? |
| Short answers | Yes, I am. / No, I'm not. | Yes, ... are. / No, ... aren't. | Yes, ... is. / No, ... isn't. |
Present Simple Example Sentences :
Positive Examples of Present Simple :
Negative Examples of Present Simple :
Question Examples of Present Simple :
| Present simple example sentences | |
|---|---|
| I have no idea... But I hope they have a good excuse! | |
| Is it big money? | |
| Is it the one with the blue tongue? | |
| Yes, sorry, everything seems filthy, but believe me, it's not my fault! | |
| What’s their name? | |
| The meeting is not the actual problem! | |
| My favourite movie is Pulp Fiction. | |
| You know some people don't like putting their ad on the internet. | |
| Yeah, the packet is ripped, but it's not overdue. | |
| Toby! This is Cate, she is my... friend, from London. | |
| Congratulations, I wish you luck. | |
| Sure, our kitchen is newly refurbished... | |
| As far as I know, Chows are not good with other animals. | |
| And this is my girlfriend, Cate. | |
| No, but that's what I feel like having... | |
| I don't want to talk about this issue in this house. | |
| It's not borrowing, it's stealing! | |
| Oh, sorry! You don't like cleaning things, I can do it. | |
| She could even have been her mum... Who knows? | |
| Sh*t! I can't believe it's already 10:30! | |